DETROIT, Mich. -- Want to continue your lacrosse playing career? Marygrove College has your solution! Fill out a RECRUIT ME form to let our coaching staff know you are interesting in playing varsity lacrosse at the collegiate level. Academic and athletic scholarships, along with competitive financial aid packages, are available.

Our first edition of our "Catching Up With Coach" series features Marygrove's most recent addition – men's lacrosse. The head coach of the newly-formed program, John Tersigni, sat down with us to talk lacrosse and more.

Starting a sport from scratch at Marygrove College is not an uncommon practice. In fact, Marygrove has unveiled 11 other sports since 2009 as the athletic department continues their growth within the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC).

In May, Tersigni was hired on as the program's first coach after a successful coaching and playing career to date. In fact, Tersigni's background also included a stop in 2009 where he gained experience building a program.

Tersigni discussed building the program as a varsity sport, as well as the NAIA and WHAC's relationship with men's lacrosse in a recent interview.

"As recruiting for our new program heats up, interested student-athletes know they have a unique opportunity at Marygrove – an opportunity to play the sport collegiately at the varsity level," said Tersigni. "From year one, Marygrove will sponsor men's lacrosse as a varsity sport. The addition of the sport at the varsity level means interested student-athletes can receive scholarships (athletic and academic) and will not have to pay dues as they have to in so many collegiate club programs."

Marygrove student-athletes are eligible to receive athletic scholarships in addition to outstanding academic scholarships ranging from $4,200/year with a high school GPA of at least 2.8 to an instant $10,500/year for a high school GPA of 3.8 or above. The academic scholarships are consisted non-competitive and remain renewable each year the student meets the ongoing criteria.

After any applicable academic awards are in place, students remain eligible for financial aid through need-based aid and the aforementioned possibility of athletic scholarships.

"The combination of potential scholarships offered at Marygrove should help us in our goal of building our team full of young men with character and a high sense of community. As I stated before, I am confident that with the support of the Marygrove community (academic scholarships, financial aid, outstanding counselors), this program will be a great success."

"Marygrove's move into the WHAC was also great news for our new lacrosse program," the coach added. "The WHAC has already put together a conference schedule due to the growth of the game nationally. With only a few more institutions on-board nationally, the NAIA will recognize lacrosse as a championship sport."

At the varsity level as a championship sport, student-athletes will have the opportunity to play for conference and national championships, as well as have the ability to be recognized for many awards including: All-Conference, Academic All-Conference, All-American, and Academic All-American to name a few.

"That's where the uniqueness of this opportunity lies. Not only will student-athletes have the potential receive athletic scholarships and not have to pay club dues, they have the opportunity to be recognized for their achievements on-and-off the field," said Tersigni.

Tersigni is actively recruiting for the 2013-14 season. If you would like more information on Marygrove Athletics or the men's lacrosse program, please visit www.marygrovemustangs.com. Interested student-athletes can fill out a RECRUIT ME form with their contact information.